92 accord can't lock driver side door

[pauwo]

I have a 2door 1992 Honda Accord EXR. In order to lock the car, you need to close the driver door and use the key to lock - annoying as hell but apparently the only way.

It recently got very cold and I can't seem to lock my driver's side door from the outside with my key. I tried squirting in door lock de-icer but to no avail. The key does not turn on the outside although once inside I can lock it from inside with the door lock switch.

Passenger side locks but it does not lock the driver's door.

Any ideas and rough costs of part and how difficult to fix?


Paul

[somick]

How about with door opened, lock the door with the inside switch, then lift and hold the outside handle and close the door?

[CivicSpoon]

I had this happen with my '94 Civic once. I took the lock out of my door (take off door panel, move the plastic wrap stuff that helps seal your door, and then removed the clip that secures it to the door & the metal poles that are attached to the locking mechanism). When it was out, I took some fine sand paper and lightly sanded the little keys in there (take note of the # on each key & location, before sanding them). I sanded them a little because there was some gunk on them, as well as some areas they were scratched up. Then I put some grease on each key, put the lock back together, and moved the key in there back and forth (before I put it back in the car). That did the trick for me.

This is basically what you're going to be doing :
http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2237857

Removing the lock and the lock itself might be different (since the link if for a Civic), but it should be similar.

Originally Posted by somick

How about with door opened, lock the door with the inside switch, then lift and hold the outside handle and close the door?

I do something similar. On the inside of the car, open the door and hold the handle open, you should be able to push the door lock down. When you release the handle, it should be locked, no need to lift the outside handle. You may have to gently release tension on the handle as you push the lock down, to get it to work. I've made a habit of opening and locking my door this way, that I can do it in one quick move now. That would probably explain why I've lock my keys in my car 3 times

[somick]

Originally Posted by CivicSpoon

I do something similar. On the inside of the car, open the door and hold the handle open, you should be able to push the door lock down. When you release the handle, it should be locked, no need to lift the outside handle. You may have to gently release tension on the handle as you push the lock down, to get it to work. I've made a habit of opening and locking my door this way, that I can do it in one quick move now. That would probably explain why I've lock my keys in my car 3 times

Yes, that trick works on my son's 1995 Accord LX

Thanks for reminding me.

Sam

[jeffcoslacker]

Try shooting some WD-40 in the key hole. You might also try pulling the bottom weatherstrip out far enough to get the WD-40 stick in there (like you were using a slimjim to unlock the door) and spray the lock mechanism top-down, it may have iced up if the weatherstrips don't keep water out of the door anymore.

Lock de-icer is just a weak methanol mix, rarely works on stubborn freeze-ups. I assume the car stays outside? If so, get it into a heated garage for a while, or use a hairdryer on the door and see if that helps.